Inaugural Class Graduates Ma’aden’s Saudi Mining Polytechnic

30 July, 2015

More than 150 students have successfully completed their two-year long coursework qualifying them to hold mining jobs in Saudi Arabia. As part of the program students were trained in both theoretical and technical programs at the world class training center, Saudi Mining Polytechnic, established by Ma’aden.

The training center includes a facility with Immersive Technologies’ simulators where students are able to train on underground and surface heavy mining equipment. Courses in the training center allow for students to observe classmates and review their own simulation sessions while instructors can manage and run reports through a centralized control station.

“The simulation training has transferred their job speciality theoretical expertise to practical field applications and provided them with realtime work environment variables and emergencies.”

Eid Alanazi, Managing Director of Saudi Mining Polytechnic.

The training center will develop a trained and qualified Saudi national workforce, capable of supporting the mining industry needs Kingdom-wide.

“Our graduates have developed self-confidence and situational decision making capability, enhanced their job safety requirements comprehension and reactions, improved their attitude and capacity to handling real machinery, technical terminology and best field practices as well as elevated their team spirit, integrity, cooperation and core values on the job.”

Eid Alanazi, Managing Director of Saudi Mining Polytechnic.

The graduation was a highly anticipated and well attended occasion with honoured guests such as Mr. Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi, Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Engr. Abdullah Bin Saif Al-Saif, Chairman of Board of Directors, Ali Al-Ghafis, Governor of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) and Engr. Khalid bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer, President and CEO of Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) in attendance.

Saudi Mining Polytechnic originally introduced simulation based training in 2013 with the largest mining simulation investment in history delivered by Immersive Technologies. Saudi Mining Polytechnic is utilizing Immersive Technologies simulators to address one of the biggest challenges faced by the Kingdom - developing a skilled workforce to support the expansion of mining. The investment included 7 Advanced Equipment Simulators and 18 simulator modules (Conversion Kits®) for both surface and underground mining.

The students have now begun work at national surface and underground mines, as well as process plant operations, after completing requirements qualifying them to hold the jobs for which they were trained.

About Immersive Technologies

Immersive Technologies is the world’s largest, proven and tested supplier of surface and underground Advanced Equipment Simulators to the global mining industry. The company has achieved this unique position by focusing on its mission to increase Customer profitability by optimizing the safety and productivity of their operators. Immersive Technologies’ Advanced Equipment Simulators are helping hundreds of mining companies around the world to increase their equipment operators’ safety and site profitability through effective simulation training.

Immersive Technologies provides its customers with the most effective Advanced Equipment Simulators available. This is made possible through the formal licensing and technical information alliances Immersive has established with the leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), including: Caterpillar Global Mining, Hitachi, Komatsu and Liebherr. These unique alliances provide Immersive Technologies with access to the OEM’s proprietary and confidential machine technical information that is required to correctly simulate the OEM’s machines and is not available through other public or dealer channels.

With advanced simulator modules deployed in 44 countries, Immersive Technologies is dedicated to provide outstanding service. To deliver on this commitment the company has customer sales and support offices located close to its customers in Perth and Brisbane Australia, Salt Lake City USA, Fort McMurray, Ottawa & Vancouver Canada, Monterrey Mexico, Lima Peru, Santiago Chile, Belo Horizonte Brazil, Bochum Germany, Johannesburg South Africa, Jakarta Indonesia, Kolkata India and Moscow Russia.